Sanitary disposable container



1966 K. BULMER ETAL SANITARY DISPOSABLE CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledAug. 26, 1963 INVENTORS UL MEI? WU? T 055W 5'. FOL r2 Hm I ATTORNEYS K.BULMER ETAL SANITA Nov. 15, 1966 RY DI SPOSABLE CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Filed Aug. 26, 1963 F/ 9 INVENTORS BULMER ROBERT S; FOLTZ M 1) KURTATTORNEYS FIG/0 United States Patent 3,285,462 SANITARY DISPOSABLECONTAINER Kurt Bulmer and Robert S. Foltz, Lockport, N.Y., assignors toCarl W. Blackley, Niagara County, N.Y. Filed Aug. 26, 1963, Ser. No.304,449 10 Claims. (Cl. 220-205) This invention is directed toimprovements in disposable containers that have trap means for receivingarticles yet are totally closed from through access from the outside.

An object of the invention is to provide a container which haspositionable receiving means to receive an article and transfer the(article for depositing in the receptacle without ever having throughaccess from the outside of the receptacle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a light weighteconomically feasible disposable container for collecting sanitarynapkins by having them entrapped within the container without being ableto be removed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a disposable lightweight container of burnable material having an attractive appearancethat may be placed with other waste to be disposed of and which is fullytippable without removing its contents.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a disposablecontainer having a receptacle for collecting articles and an unremovablyattached lid with trap means associated therewith for receiving anarticle and transferring it to a position to deposit it into saidreceptacle without through access from the outside of the container atany time.

Still further objects and in the entire scope of the applicability ofthe present invention will become apparent from the detailed descriptiongiven hereinafter. It should be understood, however, that the detaileddescription and specific examples are given by way of illustration only,and, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are notgiven by way of limitation, since various changes and modificationswithin the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art from this detailed description.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and scope of theinvention, reference may be had to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one form of the disposable container;

FIG. 2 is an exploded View of the disposable container of FIG. 1; I

FIG. 3 is a top plan view showing the top shutter open and the bottomshutter closed of the trap means;

FIG. 3a is a top plan view similar to FIG. 3 with both top and bottomclosed of thetrap means;

FIG. 3b is a top plan view similar to FIG; 3 with the top closed and thebottom open of'the trap means;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical cross sectional view taken on line 4-4of FIG. 3 on an enlarged scale of the trap means;

FIG. 5 isa sectional view of the joint between the top and bottom of thetrap means along line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of disposable container;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the disposable container of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view with the lid broken away showing the trapmeans ready to receive an article from the outside;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 with the lid broken away showing thetrap means in position for depositing an article into the receptacle;and

FIG. 10 is a vertical fragmentary sectional view of the corner jointsbetween the lid and the receptacle along line 10-10 of FIG. 8.

Throughout the description like reference numbers refer to similarparts.

FIGS. 1 through 5 will first be described with respect to one form ofthe disposable container. A disposable container is generally indicatedat 10 and comprises in the form shown a cylindrical receptacle 11 closedat its bottom and open at its top 11a. A lid assembly having a trapmeans therein is generally indicated at 12 and in the form shown has acircular lid 13 with a sector opening 13a therein having afiixed on thebottom thereof and in alignment with the aperture 13a a four-sidedtubular housing 14 open at the top and bottom as part of the trap meansand through which an article to be received is passed. The lid 13 has acentnal aperture 131; therethrough, and a guide groove formed adjacentto periphery as at 130.

As a part of the trap means cooperating with the tubular housing 14there is a top 15 of sector shape having a depending pin 15a at its apexwhich is received through the aperture 131) in the lid while its outerarcuate edge 15b is received within the guide groove 130. A bottomshutter 16 of similar sector shape to the top shutter 15 is providedwith strengthening ribs 16a therein and has at its apex an upstandingpost 1612 which has a central aperture located at its upper end and isreceived within the aperture 13b of the lid 13 and further receives thedepending pin 15a in snap fit manner by having detents received withinrecesses 15a on the post 15a. The bottom shutter 16 is offset 45 inarcuate relationship to the top shutter 15 and thus, as shown in FIGS.3, 3a and 317, provides for opening the top access of the trap withoutproviding through communication to the interior of the receptacle 11.

The top 15 has a finger grasp portion 15c extending upwardly therefromas shown in FIG. 1 from its top so that it may be rotated in an easymanner. The lid 13 has upwardly extending stop portions formed thereonas at 13c and 13d to limit the swing of the top 15. In FIG. 5 thedepending post 15a is shown as being of square cross section tocooperate with a square in cross section recess in the upstanding posts16b.

In FIG. 3 the top 15 extends from a to b and the bottom is shown throughthe opening 13a as indicated at 16 extending from c to d. Here the edgeof the bottom 16 is in alignment with the adjacent wall of the open"ended tubular housing 14 and an article tobe disposed within thereceptacle is dropped through the top opening 13a and rides on thebottom 16.

-- In FIG. 3a the top 15 has been swung from adjacent stop 13s in acounter-clockwise manner so as to close the top opening 13a and it willbe observed thatthe bottom 16 extending from c to :1 covers the bottomof the housing 14.

In FIG. 3b the top 15 is up against the stop 13d all the way swungcounter-clockwise and the bottom extends from c to d and thus, thebottom end 14a of housing 14 is open and the article is dropped into thereceptacle,

however, the top 15 covers over the top opening 13a in alignment andcommunication with which is the top of the housing 15.

In FIG. 4 it will be noted that the lid 13 is formed with ceptacle thatmay be made of paper or plastic material which is disposable andburnable and which may be knocked around and upset without spilling orexposure of its contents. It may be made in various attractive colorsand while plastic or heavy paper material is preferred, it may be madeof metal.

In FIGS. 6 through 10, inclusive, a modified form of the disposablecontainer is illustrated. Here the trap means are of a slidablearrangement rather than rotatable. The disposable container is indicatedat 20 in FIG. 6 and has an upright four-sided receptacle 21 with aclosed bottom and an open top in the illustration shown.

Adjacent the open end at the top of receptacle 21 is an aflixed housinggenerally indicated at 22 having a pair of spaced apart sides 23 and 24which extend from one side to the other of receptacle zl adjacent thetop. The bottom of the housing 22 is closed by a floor 25 which extendsso as to leave an opening 26 therethrough at one end and this is throughwhich the article is deposited from the trap means as will be explained.Opposite to the opening 26 in the floor 25 there is a horizontallyextending elongated slot 21a formed in the top of the opposite side Wallof receptacle 21. The receptacle 21 has corner portions 21b withdepending recesses 21c therein, see FIG. 10, with the lower portions ofthe recesses at 21d of enlarged size so there is formed therebetween ahorizontally extending shoulder or lock portion 21e to receive acooperating lock portion on the lid as will be explained.

Slidably received in the housing 22 is a rectangular in shape tubularmember 27 open at its top and bottom which is guided by the side walls23 and 24 as it is slid on the floor 25. This member 27 open at the topand bottom rides on the floor 25 of the housing 22 and has atransversely extending rigidly attached actuator portion 28 that extendsthrough the slot 21a in the side wall of the receptacle and has a fingergrasp portion 28a on the outer end portion and external of thereceptacle 21 whereby the tubular member 27 is moved in a reciprocatingslidable manner on the floor 25 of the housing 22.

A lid 29 is provided for the top of the receptacle 21 and it has arectangular opening therethrough adjacent one side and above housing 22as at 30. The lid is so oriented that this opening 30 is displaced fromthe opening 26 in the floor 25 of the housing 22. Fastener means 31depend from the corners of the lower face of the lid 29 and are receivedin the apertures 210 in the corners of the receptacle. In FIG. thesefastener members 31 are shown as having an enlarged head 31a and a locksurface 31b which cooperates with the lock surface'21e to hold the lid29 in an unremovable manner once it-is assembled in place on thereceptacle 21.

It is shown in FIG. 8 when the actuator portion 28 is moved to theextreme right, the opening 30 in the lid 29 is ready to receive anarticle disposed therein such as a used sanitary napkin. The housing 27lines up with the opening 30 in the lid and the article is therebyreceived and reposes on the floor 25.

In FIG. 9 the member 28 has been moved by the finger grasp portion 28ato the left and the housing 27 reposes over the opening 26 in the floor25 and the article is thereby permitted to drop into the receptacle 21.At no time is the receptacle interior exposed to the outside by athrough passageway. In other words at no time can one look into thereceptacle. In this manner unsightly articles which are to be disposedof are placed in the receptacle and it may be deposited with other wastematerial for carting away as trash, and for burning.

As in the receptacle in FIGS. 1-5 inclusive, this disposable containermay be made of plastic or paper material or even metal. For disposalpurposes and for buming a plastic material would be preferable. This maybe made in shapes and sizes. It may be of various different attractivecolors. 7

There is here provided disposable sanitary containers which may have adeodorant placed therein and which when knocked over will not spill, andyet they are easily handled and relatively attractive.

In both concepts here disclosed, to carry out the full purpose of thesanitary disposable container it is essential that the lids in each casebe unremovably attached. These containers could be sold with the lidsseparate from the receptacle and the user before using same would snapthe lid into unremovable position on the receptacle in each case. Inthis manner other articles to be also sold could be placed within thereceptacle in each case and the lid placed thereon but not forced intounremovable position. This would make an attractive sales package.Further, for shipping purposes, these receptacles could be stackedwithout their lids so that they would take up less space in transit andin storing. At the sales point the lid could be issued with theindividual receptacle as necessary.

We claim as our invention:

1. A sanitary disposable container of a burnable material comprising incombination a tubular receptacle closed at its bottom and open at itstop, a closure member snap fitted on the open end of said receptacle,said top end of said receptacle and said closure member havingcooperating fastener means thereon for securing the members in anon-removable relationship, said closure member having an articlereceiving aperature therethrough and having trap means attached belowsaid closure member and in alignment with said aperture for receivingarticles to be deposited in said receptacle, said trap means havinginner and outer interacting closure means, whereby positioning saidouter closure means to receive an article into said trap means closessaid inner closure means, and positioning said inner closure means todeposit said article to the interior of said receptacle closes saidouter closure means, thereby closing off communication to within saidreceptacle from without when said trap means receives said article aswell as When depositing said article into said receptacle and positionsintermediate thereof, whereby said container with collected articles maybe disposed of as a unit.

2. A sanitary disposable container comprising in combination a tubularreceptacle closed at its bottom and open at its top, a closure memberunremovably received on the top end of the receptacle, said closuremember comprising a lid having an opening therethrough for receiving anarticle, a tubular housing attached to the underside of said lid inalignment with said opening and through which said article will pass, atop and a bottom for said opening and tubular housing and pivotedmounting means connecting said top and bottom for movement together andangularly displacing the top from the bottom whereby the bottom closesthe lower end of the tubular housing when the top is rotated permittingthe opening in the lid to receive an article therethrough, said top andbottom being rotated together whereby when the top closes the opening inthe lid, the bottom slides by the @lower end of the tubular housingpermitting an article deposited into the tubular housing to drop intothereceptacle, said top and bottom being of a size as respects the openingsin 'lid and housing and angularly displaced from each other in theirpivoted mounting that at no time in the positioning of the top andbottom is there through access to the interior of said receptacle.

3. A sanitary disposable container according to claim 2 wherein saidreceptacle adjacent its top periphery on the outside thereof hasfastening means for said lid, said lid has a cooperating fastening meansadjacent its periphery for locking into said fastening means of thereceptacle.

4. A sanitary disposable container according to claim 3 wherein said lidhas a second aperture therethrough adjacent said first aperture and saidpivot mounting means comprises a pin attached to said top and extendingdown through said second aperture in the lid and an upstanding memberattached to said bottom member, said upstanding member being fixedlyattached to said depending pin on said top.

5. A sanitary disposable container according to claim 4 including stopmeans on said lid for limiting the rotation of said top and wherein saidlid has an arcuate guide groove therein opposite to the pivot means forguiding the rotation of said top.

6. A sanitary disposable container according to claim 4 wherein thematerial from which the container is made is burnable.

7. A sanitary disposable container comprising in combination a tubularreceptacle closed at its bottom and open at its top, a housing mountedin the receptacle adjacent its top end, said housing comprising a pairof spaced apart vertical side walls and a floor with an aperturetherethrough at one end for depositing an article in said receptacle,said housing having its open top adjacent the top of said receptacle,said receptacle having an elongated slot in a wall thereof oppositelyfrom the aperture through the floor of the housing, a slidable articlereceiving transfer member comprising a vertically disposed tubularmember received for sliding movement on the floor of said housing andbeing guided by the spaced apart vertical side walls thereof and havingan operating member rigidly fixed thereto and extending through saidslot in said wall for finger grasping and sliding the same fromexternally of said receptacle, and a lid member unremovably received onthe top of said receptacle and having an article receiving aperturetherethrough for communication with said housing at a position laterallydisposed from said aperture through the floor thereof whereby theslidable article receiving and transfer memher is slid into positionbelow said aperture in said lid and an article is received therethroughand the slidable article receiving member is slid to position the sameand the article therein over the aperture through the floor to depositthe article in the receptacle all without through access at any timebetween the outside and inside of said receptacle.

8. A sanitary disposable container according to claim 7 wherein the lidis unremovably attached to the top of the receptacle by means comprisingcooperating unseparable fastener elements attached as a part of the topof the receptacle and the lid.

9. A sanitary disposable container according to claim 7 wherein theattaching means comprises recesses extending into the top of thereceptacle and having an enlarged recess at the bottom thereof whereby alocking surface is formed between the recesses and pin membersprojecting from the bottom of said lid and having enlarged heads thereonwith a locking surface to ride against said locking surface in therespective recesses when said lid is forced into unremovable position onsaid receptacle.

10. A sanitary disposable container according to claim 9 wherein Saidcontainer is made of burnable material whereby the container withcollected articles therein may be disposed of by burning as waste.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,102,275 7/191-4Kime 220-205 1,208,766 12/1916 Frederick 220-20.5 1,238,010 8/1917Fisher 220-20.5 X 1,554,660 9/1925 Ruskay 220-20.5 1,652,826 12/1927Herold 22020.5 2,998,897 9/1961 Rudder 220-86 X THERON E. CONDON,Primary Examiner.

GEORGE E. LOWRANCE, Examiner.

1. A SANITARY DISPOSABLE CONTAINER OF A BURNABLE MATERIAL COMPRISING INCOMBINATION A TUBULAR RECEPTACLE CLOSED AT ITS BOTTOM AND OPEN AT ITSTOP, A CLOSURE MEMBER SNAP FITTED ON THE OPEN END OF SAID RECEPTACLE,SAID TOP END OF SAID RECEPTACLE AND SAID CLOSURE MEMBER HAVINGCOOPERATING FASTENER MEANS THEREON FOR SECURING THE MEMBERS IN ANON-REMOVABLE RELATIONSHIP, SAID CLOSURE MEMBER HAVING AN ARTICLERECEIVING APERTURE THERETHROUGH AND HAVING TRAP MEANS ATTACHED BELOWSAID CLOSURE MEMBER AND IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID APERTURE FOR RECEIVINGARTICLES TO BE DEPOSITED IN SAID RECEPTACLE, SAID TRAP MEANS HAVINGINNER AND OUTER INTERACTING CLOSURE MEANS, WHEREBY POSITIONING SAIDOUTER CLOSURE MEANS TO RECEIVE AN ARTICLE INTO SAID TRAP MEANS CLOSESSAID INNER CLOSURE MEANS, AND POSITIONING SAID INNER CLOSURE MEANS TODEPOSIT SAID ARTICLE TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID RECEPTACLE CLOSES SAIDOUTER CLOSURE MEANS, THEREBY CLOSING OFF COMMUNICATION TO WITHIN SAIDRECEPTACLE FROM WITHOUT WHEN SAID TRAP MEANS RECEIVES SAID ARTICLE ASWELL AS WHEN DEPOSITING SAID ARTICLE INTO SAID RECEPTACLE AND POSITIONSINTERMEDIATE THEREOF, WHEREBY SAID CONTAINER WITH COLLECTED ARTICLES MAYBE DISPOSED OF AS A UNIT.